Draft-rigging for railway-cars



A (No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet; 1.

J. CONRATH. DRAFT RIGGING FOR RAILWAY CARS. NO. 606,447. Patented JunZ8, 1898.

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(No Model.)

J. 'GONRATH. DRAFT RIGGING FOR RAILWAY CARS.

No. 606,447. Patented Jung28,1898.

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JOHN CON-BATH, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DRAFT-'RIGGING FOR RAI LWAY-CAJRSI a SPECIFICATION forming part ofLetters mat No. 606,447, dated June 28, 1898.

V Application filed. March 28, 1898- Serial No. 675,354. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, JOHN OONRATH, a citizen of the United States,residing atOhicago, county of Cook, and Stateef Illinois, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Draft-Bi ggin g for Railway-Oars,which are fully set forth in the following specification, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of my improved draft-rigging withtandem springs. Fig. 2 is a section at the line 2 2 on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 isa section at the line 3 3 on Fig. 1, the drawbar, draft connections, andA tandem springs beingremoved. Fig. 4 is asection at the line 4 4 onFig. 1. Fig. 5 is a section at the line 5 5 on Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a planof a draft rigging comprising a portion" of T my invention having asingle, group of springs instead of tandem springs. l e U In thedrawings, A is the'draw bar. e

K is a draft-loop which is connected at th forward end to the rear endof the draw-bar and encompasses the springs and their followers betweenthe face and guide plateshereih after described. I

B B are the draft-timbers.

O C are the longitudinal main sills above the draft-timbers, and O is across-sill.

D is a spacing-block between the draft-timbers at the rear of thedraft-rigging.

E is the draw-bar carrier or tie-bar connecting the draft-timbers at theforward end.

F is the bumper-sill at the forward end.

G G are face-plates for the draft-timbers and guide-plates for thefollowers.

H H and H are followers for the springs, which in the form shown in theprincipal figures consist of two groups arranged tandem,-

each group comprising a large spring J and a smaller spring J within thelarge spring. Each couple or group of springs J and J is lodged betweenone of the extreme followers H and the intermediate follower H. Each ofthe followers is provided'witha central tongue 7L to center theinner.springs J. The outer springs are centered by virtue of their diameterbeing such that the space allowed them between the guide-plates Gr andbetween the upper and lower sides of the draft-loop K is only sufficientto accommodate them. The rear end of the draw-bar is enlarged at A toform the shoulders a, which are engaged by the inwardly-turned ends K Kof the draftloop K, which is further secured to the draw bar by rivetedbolts A176. The face and guide plates'Gare let intothe inner sides ofthe draft-timbers B B, and, in addition, the bosses for the horizontalbolts which bind them to the draft-timbers are further let into the timbers, as seen at b, Fig. 1,'and to further increase the draft of theplates upon the drafttimbers, as well as to protect and stifien thelatter, the draft-plates have the upper and lower horizontal flanges Gand G for which gains are formed in the upper and lower sides of thedraft-timbers. The draft-timbers are bound directly against the undersides of the sills C Oby'th'e bolts e c, and between the draft-timbersand sills, respectively, there are lodged the keys L L, for whichsuitable gains are formed inthe under sides of the sills, and in theupper sides of the draft-timbers the upper flanges G G of the plates Gare apertured at g g g g to admit the keys L, which thus operate againstthe edges of said apertures 011 the metal of the flanges of the face andguide plates,therebyfurther increasing the security of the draftconnection thus made between the draft-timbers and the sills and takingthe shearing strain of the draft off the bolts 0. The face-plates G haveat their ends integral stops G G at front and rear, and at a distanceinward from each of these extreme stops which I is equal to thethickness of a follower l-l added to the distance allowed forcompression of the springs there is formed another integral stop G Theintermediate follower H is also lodged between stops G G", separated bya the extreme followers, respectively, and the .middle follower, arebraced by the horizontal ribs g g, which extend between them. At theupper edge each of the plates G has a guide-flange G for followers, saidguide-plates extending between the stops, respectively, between whichsaid followers are designed to travel. At the lower edge each plate hasa channel or grooved flange G projecting to the same distance as theguide-ribs and upper flanges; but this lower flange is cut away at thespace opposite the guide-flanges G G G so that the flanges G do not ofthemselves afford any guidance or support for the followers at the loweredge; but for this purpose I provide a bottom plate M, which is adaptedto slide in the grooves g of the lower flanges G and afford suitablesupport for the followers. Each of the plates G has at the lowerrearcorner a lug G having a bolt-hole g and the bottom plate M hascorresponding lugs m, which, when said bottom plate is thrust intoplace, stand opposite the lugs g g", so that a simple key-bolt M,inserted through all the lugs and secured by a cotter-pin m, serves tosecure the bottom plate in place in such manner that the removal of thecotterpin, permitting the withdrawal of the bolt, makes it possible forone man, unassisted, to withdraw said bottom plate and remove the entirestructure which is connected with the draw-bar which comprises-the loopK and springs and followers encompassed by it.

Whenever it is necessary to remove one of the face-plates from thedraft-bar, the interior structure being first withdrawn, as described,the outer ends of the bolts 19 b, by which the plates are bound to thedraft-timbers, may be cut off and the bolts driven inward into the spacecavated by withdrawing the draw-bar loop-springs and followers, and insuch case it will be noticed that the keys L L do not interfere withforcing off the faceplates, because they are lodged in notches in theflanges of the face-plates and there are no bolts passing through theseflanges. Similarly the lower flanges are notched for the bolts, as shownat g.

In Fig. 6 I have shown similar detail features applied to adraft-rigging having a single group of springs. With the exceptionsinvolved in the fact that there is only one group of springs thestructure is the same,

and in this case I have shown the key L omitted at one of the bolts 0,but the flangeplate G is notched to allow the plate to be driven off, asabove described.

In both the forms illustrated-that is, Whether a single group of springsor a plublock D is let into the facing sides of the draft-timbers, asseen in the drawings, and at the forward side abuts directly against therear ends of the face-plates G, so that it affords additional securityto the engagement of the face-plates with the draft-timbers in respectto the pushing movement which is transmitted through the draw-bar; andin order to facilitate the removal of this spaceblock when necessary forany purpose the bolts D D, which bind the draw-bars together into thespace-block, instead of extending through the latter, as customaryheretofore, extend behind it, so that upon being slacked to relieve theendwise pressure upon the block the latter may be dropped or driven oiffrom between the draft-timbers.

I claim 1. In a draft-rigging for cars, in combination with thedraft-timbers, a plurality of groups of springs arranged tandem betweenthe draft-timbers; followersbetween consecutive groups and beyond theextreme groups in both directions; the draw-bar adapted to abut againstthe nearest follower; a draft connection therefrom extending beyond themost remote follower, and stops rigid with the draft-timbers to limitthe inward move:

. ment of the extreme followers, each intermediate follower having arange of movement in both directions from the position at which it isheld by the springs when free from any action of the draw-bar, adistance equal to the compression for which the springs are calculated.

2. In a draft-rigging for cars, in combination with the draft-timbers,face-plates G let into the proximate faces of the timbers respectivelyand having horizontal flanges at top and bottom which are also let intothe upper and lower sides of the timbers respectively; the draw-bar anddraft connections therefrom between the face-plates comprising thesprings and followers; the face-plates having rigid stops to limit themovement of the followers.

3. In a draft-rigging for cars, in combination with the longitudinalsills; the drafttimbers and face-plates provided for the same havingflanges extending over the upper surface of the draft-timbers, suchflanges being let into said timbers, the flanges having notches; keyslet into the lower side of the sills and upper side of the draft-timbersand extending through the notches in the flanges; and bolts which bindthe draft-timbers up against the under side of the sills.

4. In a draft-rigging for cars, in combination with draft-timbers, theface-plates made rigid therewith; the draw-bar and draft connectiontherefrom, and the springs and followers associated therewith betweenthe faceplates; the ends of the followers extending laterally beyond thesprings and stops and upper guides for said ends on the face-plates,

. said face-plates having at their lower edges rality of such groups isemployed-the spaceinwardly-projecting flanges cut away below I tion withdraft-timbers, the face-plates made,

rigid therewith; the draw-bar and draft connections therefrom, and thesprings and followers associated therewith between the faceface-plateshaving each an apertured lug G and the slide having acorrespondinglysituated apertured lug whose apertures are adapted toregister with the apertures of the lugs of the face-plates when theslide is in operative position, and a suitable removable key insertedthrough said apertures.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in. the presence oftwo witnesses, at Chicago, Illinois, this 21st day of March, 1898.

JOHN OONRATH.

Witnesses:

CHAs. S. BURTON, JEAN ELLIOTT.

